The Royal Contract

1167 Making the biggest mistake

She stared at her son, who had just finished his dinner. He had so many questions about what had happened earlier. But how could she explain to a child the complexity and harshness of their reality?

Honestly, she did not fully understand it herself. It was like fate was still out to get her. It was still playing games with her life and her son. But she had enough. She could not let anyone use her son as a pawn in their stupid games.

Not Ryan, Bianca, or Zach.

Then, she heard the bell ring. Quickly, she moved to the door. When she saw it was her friend, she immediately opened the door for him. She meant to call him earlier. But she was glad he was here now.

“I hope I did not come on a bad time, Ria.” He said as he entered her apartment. “But I have some information I want to share with you.” She noticed that his eyes seemed to search the room. “Is Zach here?”

“No, he is not. But can you give me a few minutes? I will just put Edison to bed.” She directed him to the sofa, leaving her friend while she helped Edison get ready for bed.

It did not take long before Edison closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep. He was exhausted from the day’s event, just like she was. But she still had a few things to deal with before she could shut her eyes for the night.

But she doubted that she would even sleep a wink after today’s incident. There were just too many things to think about and consider, especially regarding what was best for her son.

“I am sorry if I took longer...” But Tabby did not let her finish, understanding her situation. “What is it you want to tell me?” She could not help but wonder if it would be worse than Ryan and Bianca’s actions or Zach’s betrayal.

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She should have known that Zach was too good to be true. But like the stupid girl she was before, she had allowed another man to make a fool of her, believing his lies. Now, she had to face another broken heart and a lot of heartaches.

“I finally have access to the files. I discovered that it was not Ryan who had you investigated.” Her friend told her, which made her brows frown in question.

“If it is not Ryan, who else was interested in my background?” She asked, shocked by this new development.

She thought she had already confirmed the identity of the person digging into her past. But it appeared she was mistaken. But who else would have an interest in her life?

“It is his mother, Mrs. Andrews. She had my company look into your past.” Tabby told her, presenting her with the report he gathered from his office.

She checked the file and saw the detail of her past written on the report. She could say that it was accurate. But in her opinion, it did not include the entire story.

“But why would his mother do that?” Then her mind came up with the answer. Of course, just like her, his mother was protecting him.

She probably thought she was just another gold digger wanting his money. She was not surprised about that. It was not the first time someone had accused her of being a fortune hunter.

She remembered that Ryan’s father had paid her in exchange for her silence. And to be honest, she accepted it. She had sold her soul to the devil and signed the contract.

But the money was not for her. It was for her child, who was fighting for his life. Therefore, if she had to do it again, she would never hesitate for Edison.

“I guess you already know the answer to that,” Tabby said, probably reading her reaction. “Zach is not like us. He came from a different life from where we came from.” His friend explained what she already knew.

She already suspected that Zach was out of her league. But somehow, she deluded herself, believing she could be good enough for him despite their differences. That was what she got for dreaming.

“Are you alright?” Tabby asked as he moved closer and enveloped her in his arms. He must have noticed how her heart burst into millions of pieces.

“No. I am not.” She admitted to her friend as she buried herself into his chest and finally let her tears fall from her eyes. She had been holding them for so long that when they finally erupted, it was like it would never stop.

“Hey, what is wrong?” He asked, looking confused by her outburst. “I guarantee Zach will clear this out once you talk to him. Zach will clear this misunderstanding with his mother.”

Tabby held her tighter, assuring her that things would turn out ok eventually. But he had no idea of the earlier incident or what had happened last night.

“This has nothing to do with his mother. I don’t want to see Zach ever again.” She mumbled between her sobs, desperate to erase him from her life.

“Wait! What are you saying?” He sounded more confused as he slightly pushed her off his body to look at her face. “Did something happen that I don’t know?” He frowned at her, questioning her.

However, his question only reminded her how the three friends had played with her feelings. She suddenly remembered the sudden appearance of Ryan on the island. And then, a chance meeting with Bianca through their dinner. Lastly, the setup last night and this morning.

It was not a coincidence but a game the three played at her expense. It reminded her of when Ryan had fooled her, making her believe she was the luckiest girl in the world, only to realize that it was just a game. Unfortunately, in the end, she lost.

“Zach was no different from Ryan.” She told him the story, no matter how hard it was to recount the past event.

“Maybe you had it wrong. Don’t you want to listen to Zach’s side? Maybe he had a different story.” Tabby seemed to defend him, but she could not listen to another lie.

She pulled away from his friend, wondering why he seemed on Zach’s side. She remembered that he hardly liked the guy when he first saw him. What changed?

“I don’t think you understand.” She told her friend, wanting him to take her side. “Zach is Ryan’s bestfriend. They are in this together. They probably thought they could play around with my feelings.”

“That doesn’t sound like Zach.” Tabby still did not want to believe her. “Maybe you have it all wrong.”

“Stop defending him. You don’t know who he truly is.” She told him what she thought of what Zach did to her. “Zach is already engaged with Bianca. I heard it this morning.”

She still could not believe she had allowed her heart to fall in love again. Now, look at where that got her. She made a complete mess of her life again when she thought she already had it under control.

“It just doesn’t make sense.” Tabby still would not agree with her as he shrugged his shoulder at her. “Something is not adding up.” Her friend continued to contradict her conclusion.

“Don’t you want to consider that maybe Zach was not part of this? Yes, Ryan is a real douchebag, but not because Zach is friends with him that also makes him one.” Tabby expressed his opinion.

“I don’t know about this, Bianca. If she had already cheated on him before, why would Zach want to go back to her?” Tabby made another point.

“And I am a good judge of character, and I like Zach. I genuinely felt his sincerity toward his intentions with you and Edison. I don’t think that was easy to fake.” He continued, not allowing her to interrupt his reasoning.

“So, I suggest you go over it again before you make any permanent decision. I even suggest you talk to Zach because he, at the very least, deserves to be heard out.” Tabby shared his advice with her.

“If you don’t mind, I need a drink. But since you don’t have any alcoholic beverages here, I will make myself some coffee while you process what I said.” Tabby stood up from the couch and walked toward her kitchen.

Then, he suddenly peeked through the door after a few seconds. “I suggest you quickly think about it because he said he is already coming here,” Tabby told her before disappearing again into the other room.

“What?” She could not help but yelp in shock. She hurriedly followed Tabby into the room, wanting clarification. “How did you know that is coming?”

He grabbed his phone from his back pocket and waved it to her. “He just texted me. He wanted to know if I saw you. Then, he asks if you are at home.”

“Did you respond to his text?” She apprehensively asked as panic gripped her already frailed nerves.

“Of course. So I suggest you go to the bathroom, wash your face, and fix your hair. If you are ending your relationship with Zach, it will be better to hold your head high and not look like a truck just run you over.” He teased her as he continued to make his coffee.

“Ok. I think you are right.” She quickly rushed to the bathroom. She would show Zach that he did not succeed with his plans.

However, Tabby’s words also nagged at her. What if she was making the biggest mistake of her life?